If you’ve grown up in a family, you know things don’t always run smoothly. In fact, it’s often messy, as I discovered at my 1st Thanksgiving dinner after ordination as a priest. I remember starting to say grace, and then lost track of time. The truth is that I fell asleep with my chin in the mashed potatoes and gravy. And my siblings, rather than lift my head out of the muck, took pictures of the event! But some people have a notion that living life in the Holy Family was like living on Easy St, and therefore, “I can’t measure up to all the Holy Family’s virtues, so I’ll just thrown in the towel and quit.” I want to reflect with you CLEARLY today 3 ways that, on a few important levels, the HF did not have a stress-free time.
For one thing, Mary, Joseph and Jesus were migrants: they were refugees soon after Jesus’ birth. Their Flight into Egypt is recorded in Matthew’s Gospel: an angel appears to Joseph in a dream, telling him to flee to Egypt with Mary and Jesus, because King H would look to destroy Jesus. It’s BIGGER than that. This maniacal man named Herod got it into his mind: if he couldn’t quick find this so-called baby king, he would begin the systematic extermination of all male children. This was a difficult time, but they had to stay in Egypt where Herod could not harm Jesus. In addition, while in Egypt, the Holy Family moved often, to avoid the reach of Herod’s spies: imagine having to look over your shoulder as adult, while worrying about a baby making noise that would attract someone’s attention, or a spies’ investigation, and undo a plan God designed. Mary and Joseph stayed faithful to God’s direction. Think of a time YOU had to make sudden important changes or decisions!
Two: St. Luke records Simeon speaking at the temple during Jesus’ Presentation, a Jewish tradition! But Simeon uses a very unusual figure of speech: he says that Jesus will grow up and will become a SIGN of contradiction – translation: lots of enemies will rise up against him and to destroy him; and to Mary, Simeon shockingly says, “and you yourself a sword shall pierce!” Wait a minute: isn’t an infant boy’s presentation in the temple supposed to be a joyful, positive great day? Y, but Simeon is foretelling the TRUTH of what is going to happen to all three of the Holy Family. After that, it’s no secret that this Jesus, marked by our God, was also a marked man on earth. Remember the time U had a sinking feeling re something not being 100% ok: how destabilizing it was that day.
And 3rd, it couldn’t have been easy to raise Jesus. Yes, Mary and Joseph knew He was God’s Son, and the Savior, and yet they were his parents. Because Jesus was 100% human, MandJ had to deal with Jesus’ training: things like praying, dressing self, playing fair, sharing food and toys, being polite, kissing grandma/grandpa, Joachim and Ann. Even if M and J didn’t understand the FULL picture – after all, who but GOD sees the full picture? – M and J knew who they were, they knew each and both had a vocation, and knew what they knew: as Jewish people, they prayed “our God is the one and only true God,” yet they were shocked when Jesus took the next step in maturing, stayed behind in the temple, arguing with the rabbis and scholars, and accepting his calling: This might WELL be a case for growing pains for PARENTS! and YES: They went forward UNITED! It ALSO couldn’t have been easy for Jesus after that event, knowing what HE THEN knew, and STILL remain and become an obedient child, to the ones whose vocation it was to love and nourish Him. Recall that moment when you realized your child was more learned than you were in a given subject X: but he/she’s STILL your kid!
So, now that we’re reflected on some challenges the Holy Family faced and we too have faced, we do well to name WHY we call them the Holy Family, and what it means to all of us today. I believe the most important factor was they put God at the CENTER of everything, not at the fringe, God was not like a decoration on a cake, or an add-on to an already-made decision. God was at the center of everything, and all priorities. And the HF was also OPEN to God directing them throughout their lives. What else do the Scriptures say? Well, practicing virtues like love, respect, patience, and perseverance would be included. It also seems that just as many doctors today belong to a group that practices medicine, we are called to CONTINUE to practice growing into God’s full love. And for the very practical minded, Pope Francis preaches that a healthy family life requires frequent use of three phrases: “May I? Thank you, and I’m sorry.” We come to Mass today as works-of-art-in-progress: God SERIOUSLY wants to keep working in us, if we but provide God the necessary access. Let the Jesus who humbly makes himself available under the form of consecrated bread make us humble enough to acknowledge our call to progress further ahead on our Christian journey. Happy Christmas Week! Fr. Chris